


discovery

by foilflingza



Category: Splatoon
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, M/M, Other, Trauma, also the gorai and goggles mentions are in the past, honey is their adoptive daughter, idk how to tag this so well ??? lol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-25
Updated: 2020-08-25
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:47:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,375
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26097358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foilflingza/pseuds/foilflingza
Summary: rider finds something he would rather never, in a million years, ever want to find and then has a meltdown
Relationships: Goggles/Rider (Splatoon)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 30





	discovery

**Author's Note:**

> for my friend @ millkmoneyy on insta! she gives me angst and i go fucking crazy

A muffled beep of the dryer finishing its cycle and Rider's ears perked up. He glanced back and forth from the TV, to the laundry room door, and back again. He made a moment's decision and got up to put Honey's clothes away for her, just to be nice. She'd be home pretty soon anyways, just going out to buy some snacks for the both of them.

Walking into the room and pulling out a plastic basket, careful not to burn himself on some of the thicker fabrics since the cycle just ended. Whistling content to himself as he finished and went to her room, setting the basket in front of her dresser. He opened the top drawer and was greeted with a completely out of order, thrown about mess of clothes. Rolling his eyes and smiling a bit to himself, he took out one piece at a time, folding it and placing it back neatly so all her clothes would fit. 

Simply thinking to himself in silence, content with the alone time, the heat radiating off her fresh laundry making him feel a little cozy. Taking his time folding and  _ good God why do teenage girls have so many clothes, _ getting all the way to the back of her drawer, almost finished. He couldn't see that far back into it, making a little game with himself and guessing what he would pull out. His fingertips graced an odd-feeling fabric, if not a little familiar. Eyebrows furrowing in confusion, having sworn he already folded her windbreaker type jackets. Tugging it from the back a little bit and only got a glimpse of the color of the sleeve and all of a sudden he didn't  _ want _ to guess what it was. 

He froze for a moment, and the room felt suddenly way too hot, hearts thrumming in his chest as he slowly kept pulling the clothing out. Yellow. Reflective. Stitched emblem on the shoulder that made his stomach turn. He didn’t want to take the whole thing out, silently praying to himself that it wasn’t what he thought it was. Hoping that it was a mistake, he was seeing things,  _ she wouldn’t, right?  _ The whole world seemed to just stop as he took it entirely out and let it drop into his lap, staring down at it, the reflective material burning into his eyes. He didn’t realize his breathing had become so labored, almost hyperventilating, rubbing his hands over the vinyl-ish fabric, flooded with _ things he’d rather just forget already _ .

All he could think about was the sickening, flowing blue that he remembered all over his hands. Smearing into his jacket, covering his slowly falling unconscious husband’s face, him trying to smile the same as ever to keep Rider calm. He was begging him to stay awake, to make it just a little bit longer,  _ hang on until we get back to the cabin, okay?  _ Goggles was trying so hard,  _ so hard _ , but he was so tired. Lightheaded, and he could hardly process the danger he was in, weakly holding onto Rider’s neck as the yellow-green bolted out of their mission station, Goggles only a lightweight in his arms. He wanted to sleep. Rider urged him so, so, so much to stay awake, that he  _ loved _ him but it wasn’t bedtime yet. Slowly Goggles started to get heavier, and heavier, and it was strange to Rider, with all this adrenaline he shouldn’t even be able to feel Goggles’ weight. A faint  _ I love you, Rider  _ and his arms slipped from Rider’s neck, laying limp against his chest and one dangling from his side, and Rider faltered in his running, almost tripping.  _ Goggles? Baby, don’t go to sleep, please, Goggles-  _

Rider didn’t realize his knuckles were turning white from gripping into the jacket so hard. He was almost ripping it, breathing labored, straight up wheezing while halfway curled over into his own lap. His lungs contracting and making him hiccup, his entire body  _ trembling _ as his mind raced, unable to come to terms, to fully accept, to fully  _ believe _ what exactly it was he just found in his daughter’s dresser. All he could see was the same situation over and over, transparent-ish yellow all over his daughter's body. Would she die alone? Does she work with anyone? Starting to sob, the noises would be heartbreaking to any outsider but he couldn’t even hear himself, his brain was so fogged. Thick yellow-green globs of tears just streaming down and slipping onto the jacket, beading up and rolling off from the liquid-proof coating. He couldn’t calm down and at this point her laundry had cooled, simply waiting while he spiraled sitting on the floor of her bedroom, in the most fear and regret he had ever felt since that day.

He hadn’t quite calmed down, his mind was still storming, but he had contained it externally for the most part. Sitting with his face in his hands on the couch, the jacket sprawled out on the table in front of him, clear as day as to what it was. He heard the door knob jiggle and the door swing open, but he didn’t move an inch. Unable to tear his eyes from in front of him. A cheerful greeting from Honey as the plastic bag she was holding rustled as she walked through the living room, the bright yellow catching her eye. She stopped dead, and looked from the jacket to her dad, his face completely stoic, not even acknowledging her. She laughed nervously, shifting her weight from foot to foot.

“What’s that, dad? I don’t think you would wear something so bright.” 

His face shifted to look her dead in the eyes, and that’s when she saw how dull Rider’s were. “Honey, I’m going to ask you once, and  _ do not _ lie to me.” He sounded so  _ hollow.  _ Honey gulped and nodded her head, keeping the eye contact. 

“Are you doing Agent work? Just like Goggles and I did?”

Honey hesitated for more than a few moments, the silence hurting her head. Nervously closing her mouth and opening it again, not being able to get the answer out. 

“Honey.”   
  


“Y...Yeah, I am.”

Rider sighed heavily, rubbing his temples with his fingers, more terrified and disappointed than he was angry. “Why.” It was said so forcefully Honey flinched a little. 

“I…I wanted to help, you know? They need more people, I- I didn’t want to know people were hurt and I could’ve...helped them.” It was hard for her to make it coherent, the energy radiating off her dad was making her feel crushed. She knew exactly what that jacket meant to him. She couldn’t remember, she was too young, but as she was older she started to get more curious and Rider spilled it all to her, save for the gorey details. There were so many pictures of Goggles plastered around the house, framed formal pictures or silly polaroid selfies that he had taken. Somewhat of a reminder to keep him alive. 

“You could help people in so many other ways.” Rider was spitting his words out, like they were something sour he’d eaten. It was hard to keep his voice even. 

“I know, but, so much more- more important,” In the stress her Inklish was starting to slip. She was getting a little offended, and upset. She knew it was so dangerous but her caring for other people made her take the job. “'S more than help little squids, it’s Octarians too, and fishes,” the zapfish. She always thought they were kinda cute. 

“So some meaningless enemy lives are more important than your  _ own _ ?” Rider’s expression was so darkened it almost looked like he hated her. He didn’t; he loved her more than anything else in the world, the last normal thing left in her life after Goggles leaving. But he hated the stupid decision she had decided to make. 

Honey’s mouth hung open in disbelief. Some sort of wire snapped in her and made an angry flame light itself inside her chest. No life was less important to her, enemy or not; they were still  _ living things _ . “Not meaningless, dad!”

“It’s meaningless to  _ me _ . No life is more important to me than  _ yours _ .” Rider’s voice had raised considerably, the panicked breathing starting to come back. “That’s how your father  _ died _ , Honey! Doing Agent work that was the _ last _ fucking thing I ever wanted you to do!” 

“So? I don’t even  _ remember _ him!” And as soon as it came out of her mouth, she felt her stomach drop, clasping a hand over her mouth. Dropping the bag of snacks to the floor and it was the only sound in the silence that thickened in the room after her words. 

Rider stopped looking at her. Covering his entire face with his hands. Honey took a tentative step forward, her legs too heavy. “Oh, I sorry, I…” 

He didn't look back at her again. Making a brisk movement to stand up, walking silent to his own room, the door slamming behind him. Honey toppled to the floor on her knees and took the jacket in her hands, gritting her teeth in nothing but shame. 

Rider crawled into his own bed and curled up like a baby, holding onto a pillow like a lifesaver. Smothering his face in it and he started to shake, tears threatening again. Choked noises muffled into the soft pillowcase as he glanced at one of the pictures of Goggles on his bedside, barely being able to see the blue through his completely clouded eyes. He could hear Honey move through the house, first to her room, and then out the front door, the slam echoing through the now empty space. It filled Rider with so much guilt and he let loose again, soaking the pillow.

Eventually it was too much to keep muffled, choking him, and he had to put it down. Completely wailing free now, unnatural noises coming from someone like Rider. Absolutely sobbing worse than before, his entire body shaking with each exhale, the only outlet he could possibly think of. The trauma kept replaying over, and over, and over. Tormenting his mind, the wounds reopening and made deeper, almost able to feel Goggles' deadweight in his arms again. In between that, imaginary yet all too possible scenarios of Honey flashing in his mind. He'd only worried this bad about her when Goggles first died; how was he going to recover? Raise her normally on his own, knowing there was a huge piece missing? How was he going to tell her when she was old enough to start asking? 

* * *

Honey was no better, head in her girlfriend's lap, crying just about the same. Letting garbled nonsense spill from her mouth in between tears, brain too fried to try and process. It was horrible and embarrassing, and only served to make her more uncontrollably upset. Snow simply listened, petting at her head, pursing her lips in concern. Letting Honey get it all out before she tried to push it. 

It took a while before Honey was too tired and drained to keep going, gasping as the rest of her tears left her. Laying limp in Snow’s lap, hands curled up against her face, as if it would protect her from something unknown. Snow sighed, not in annoyance, but rather in a heavy concern, moving to rub her thumb against Honey’s hands. 

“You should apologize, I think.” Said very softly, and Honey knew she should. The only problem was going back home and doing it. 

Only able to make a quiet noise in response, and Honey dragged her heavy body up, resting her head on Snow’s shoulder. Snow wrapped her in a gentle embrace, rubbing at her back, kissing her temples. 

“Should quit,” Honey mumbled into her skin. “Should quit, too.”   
  
“That’s a good idea,” Snow hummed. “It worries me, too.”   


* * *

Honey was never afraid to go home before, but now it made her jitter uncomfortably. A day had passed, she slept in Snow’s bed, although laying awake most of the night in thought. Now she stood at her front door, hand on the door knob, frozen still. Taking in a way too deep breath and turning it as quiet as possible, the door didn’t make a sound as she opened it at a snail’s pace, shutting it as quietly as she could. Moving silent through the living room, the jacket still crumpled on the table. She winced at it and moved on down the hallways, stopping at Rider’s door, ears ringing in an impending feeling of terror. 

She knocked once, and didn’t hear a stir. Knocked twice, and still nothing. She felt a lump rise up in her throat, hand wavering and ready to knock a third time, although she hesitated a great deal. Gingerly rapping a third time, and this time she heard a raspy cough and heavy footsteps coming. Her hearts skipped more than several beats as the door cracked open, and she could see Rider looking down at her.   
  
He looked like he had underslept, yet overslept at the same time. Eyes just barely cracked open, eyelids puffy, horrible dark bags underneath. His face seemed hollowed and she took note of the multitude of dark tear stains going all the way down his neck. She almost collapsed from the guilt.  _ Crying like that because of me. _

Her voice started to move before she could, Rider standing fully before her now with the door open. “Dad, I’m sorry, didn’t- didn’t mean it, I promise,” she started to choke up again. “I’ll quit, I quit, ‘m safe now.” Only met with silence that made her keep going.

“Didn’t mean to worry, I-I’m so sorry, dad-” her jaw was quivering uncontrollably, crying up at her dad’s blank face, just expecting  _ something.  _

She blabbered on more incoherent words and pleads of  _ I’m sorry _ until Rider cut her off with a crushing hug. 

“Don’t go back, I can’t lose you both,” Rider was choked up again too, his body pleading not to cry again, but he couldn’t help it. “I can’t die alone.” 

Honey hugged him back, eyes shutting tight as they stood in the doorway crying onto each other, finally comforted. “You won’t.”


End file.
